Grburkart

I love a good pub. I love meeting people that love a good pub.  

Part of what makes a good pub, bar, speakeasy, call it as you may, are the people that work there. If they are good at their craft and make me feel at home, I don’t mind paying up for that service even if it’s over and above the 15% they already charge. 

For some reason it’s a great feeling when a stranger calls you by your first or last name. 

Respect goes a long ways even if it affects my billfold. 

Glenn

To edit this, I’ve spoken in other threads about excessive tipping and how I thing it’s too much. It probably makes me a hypocrite, however, my motives in a drinking establishment are strictly for selfish reasons. More frequent service and possible generous pours are two of the many reasons. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everybody for keeping this thread straight! 

There are so many options to consider and I just might make an impulse buy and get a tuxedo. But for the time being, I like the rental option the best for all the points that were made. 

You will never wear out a rental!

Glenn

1 hour ago, voljeep said:

Glenn made it perfectly clear in a prior post about not sitting with you if you are not dressed to his standards ... but , then he did recant ... a bit

Actually I’ll have to eat crow. Ep and I will be on a future cruise together. I promised him a formal dinner together with his black jeans and garb. 

Glenn

58 minutes ago, melodyina said:

Glenn -- I had a thought!  Since its been so long since you've cruised and you have an upcoming (fantastic) cruise in October, have you thought of a 'pre-cruise' check-it-out?  What I mean to say is the Emerald Princess has a 3 day sailing from Van Couver to LA  and a LA back to Vancouver offered in March and April.   What a great way to get excited about your trip and see the ship too! 

That’s not a bad idea! I’ll check into it plus one of my daughters lives in Vancouver. I could visit or even take her. Plus I have a 22 day cruise and a 28 day cruise booked. That’ll put me at 50 days, one day shy of platinum status. This short cruise would but me where I need to be. 

Thank you for the tip!

Glenn

Just now, Expat Cruise said:

Anything the cruise line supplies you on the cruise is a rental.... the same could be said for your cabin.

 

Ewwww!

But!!! You have a good idea. I’ll even check with Cruiseline Formal Wear to see if they’ll deal. 

Glenn

1 minute ago, MomC said:

I would never sue anyone—not part of my make up—but I do know people who would (former judge).  I guess I didn’t read far enough or in the right place.  I did not see anything about bar staff and spa.  We have been sailing cruise lines which include gratuities and liquor in their cabin price.  They are more expensive outright, but it’s nice not to be signing tabs all the time.  We are going with very good friends who sail Princess exclusively and we will gladly sign tabs and pay gratuities.  I just wondered about the tipping.

If you go with the Premium Beverage Package, the gratuity is included in the price (15%). 

Glenn

Also, if you’re on a roll call, a lot of times they have events. 

Glenn

27 minutes ago, don731 said:

We just concluded a cruise on the Coral Princess.  Brought tux and gowns.  Very disappointed that there is no dress code enforcement whatsoever, and you may be dining next to a guy in jeans, a cheap blazer, and tee shirt.  

A hundred or so years ago I worked as a rooms division manager at a resort in the Canadian Rockies. We catered, in a big way, to the Japanese people. They are beautiful people, very customary and very traditional. 

I tell you that story to tell you this...

I will be on the Diamond Princess next year and a large portion of the passengers will be Japanese. So much that princess mentions it in their notes on the specific cruise website. I will attach a screenshot of it so forgive me if it’s too small to read. 

Anyway, knowing the Japanese people like I know them, there is no way I won’t be dressed up for our formal dinners. All eight of them to be exact. Lol

Japanese formal wear is beautiful!

Glenn

25 minutes ago, MomC said:

Let me make I am clear.  Even though their website says the daily gratuity includes ‘wait staff,’ that does NOT include bar staff? You still get the 15% gratuity added to your bar bill.  Am I correct?

 

 In my mind, waitstaff includes all servers.  Guess that is not the way Princess interprets it.  Hmmmmmm, someone who wants to push that might have a legal challenge.  Just sayin’.

 

Mom C

I searched and I found the part where it says bar staff and their support staff, lotus spa staff and casino dealers do not share in the cruise tips, aka the tipping pool. 

From what I understand, Lotus staff and Casino staff are outside contractors and are separate from Princess. And, as stated in a previous post, not everybody utilizes the bar staff so they are separate. 

Glenn

Somewhere princess states that the staff at bars and such are not part of the tipping pool because not everyone utilizes them so they are separate. I’ll see if I can find it. 

Glenn

8 minutes ago, zalusky said:

I got caught up in this as well and bought a tux online.  Used it once.  It sat in the closet.  Looking at packing choices I decided I needed more for flexible mix and match clothing.  The Tux on top of regular suits/blazers and dress pants was too much.

 

The tux got donated last year along with a couple of suits.  My casual blazers that I can pair with dressy slacks or jeans get used the most these days.

Colo Cruiser makes a good point to the rental side of things in that it eliminates the packing scenario. 

Glenn

I need to reminisce briefly because I was reading that the difference between a tuxedo and a suit is the presence of satin. 

Back in the mid 70’s I had a satin shirt and tight satin pants, lol, and dancing to what was the beginning of the disco era. Gee, the memories!

Sorry for the interruption.

Glenn

4 minutes ago, wheezedr said:

Big question? Why a tux.  Have done over 20 Princess Cruises.  Have always been comfortable and appropriate in a nice dark suit.  Bring a variety of shirts and ties to alter the look.  Can also wear those suits for other occasions at home where they are appropriate but a Tux would not be.  Consulted with the DW and we both agree that Tux wear is maybe 20% of the gentlemen on board.  Princess remains a holdover of formal wear lines but even on it’s cruises the level of formality has declined.  Do not want to disappoint you but many of your fellow male passengers may not even wear coats and ties.  My point simply is that a Tux is fine but not necessary.

Tuxedos are just downright cool. They look good, they feel good, the ladies love a well dressed man. Also, a nice tuxedo will cover the fact that I wear a Timex. 

I’m also weighing in about a suit but... meh. For sure, a suit would have more functionality but for my purposes I’ll go with the tux. 

Glenn

8 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

If you plan to enjoy several other cruises than what you have planned in the future, buying a good quality tux and accessories is what I would recommend.  Wearing a suit like that so rarely, a good quality tux will serve you well.  I own 3 tuxes.  The original one, purchased in 2002, I have outgrown.  For my world cruise, I purchased an inexpensive JCPenney tux, as a back-up, in case something happened to Tux #1.  I now have a tux that was tailored made for me at a very reasonable price in comparison to off-the-shelf garments that fit poorly and were not cheap.  This tux will last me for the rest of my cruising career.  I view it as an investment that has "an annual return" for as long as I am able to continue cruising.

 

I'd suggest shopping for a formal shirt--without wing collars, those seem to be out of fashion from what I have seen--that has buttons as well as the opportunity to use studs, if so desired.

Thank you for your input!

i am a bigger guy (not tall) so anything department store(ish) is suspect and I’m relegated to the “big and tall” shops. 

Also, it’s a problem as you mention, the styling issue rears it’s ugly head. Trying to stay in style presents a situation. The tuxedo itself would probably be ok. Just the hardware that’ll need change out. 

Glenn

1 minute ago, oskidunker said:

You should be able to do it for under $500. Check around. Nordstrom, Macy’s or here is a link for under $300. https://www.menswearhouse.com/formalwear/tuxedos

Thank you for the link. 

When you add up everything, shirts, shoes, ties, etc. It’ll add up in a hurry. 

Glenn

Just now, Colo Cruiser said:

Have you checked the rental out for onboard?

They leave it on your cabin so its ready when you board and you leave to there when you depart.

Yes. That was my source for for pricing. The Emerald quote was around $200.00 for 22 days. 

Glenn

First of all, please, please, please do not turn this thread into a formal night debate. It’s not about that. 

Later this year I will be on the Emerald in which there are 4 formal dinners, and towards the end of 2020 and into 2021 I will be on the Diamond in which there will be 8 formal dinners. 

There comes a line of when to purchase a tuxedo vs. renting one. 

Rentals come complete with accessories such as a bow tie, cuff links and shirt “buttons” (studs). Shoes, shirts as well as a handkerchief, etc.. To purchase a tuxedo and all the goodies would take a good sum of money. My estimate would be twice the money I would spend on two cruises worth of rentals. 

Can I even get a nice Tuxedo for a thousand dollars?  

I don’t have a lot of use for one outside of cruising. But if I get the cruise bug, then I can justify it. Same story with a regular suit. I’ve thought of that too. 

Thoughts please. 

Glenn

1 hour ago, 1965 said:

We had it our 1st night on the Crown in Oct. It was delicious. I had read posts on cc that it's horrible, a tasteless grey mass, etc. We loved it. Looking forward to having it again.

I just have to comment by gritting my teeth and saying nothing. Read between the lines, if you will!  I’m happy you enjoyed it and I look forward to it as well. 

Glenn

5 minutes ago, pamwigs said:

We live in Anchorage (walkable to downtown) and love it. We moved here last March. Great place to retire. I work PT in the summer and do volunteer work at ARH the rest of the year.

Every time I’m in Anchorage I go to the weekend market downtown. I always have a halibut taco and I buy a hat from The Hat Lady. I must have 20 hats. Lol

Glenn

Forgive me for this but all the talk about bars and drinking and stuff is prompting me to tell this story...

A set of booster cables walk into a bar. The bartender says “I’ll serve you but don’t start anything”. 

Never mind me. Just had to do it. 

Glenn

6 minutes ago, OCruisers said:

Works for us because it includes ALL drinks (diet Cokes, coffee, etc.) not just alcoholic drinks.  

Yes, expensive but would you enjoy your cruise without having what you want to drink when you want it?

We just factor it into the cost of our cruise.  

That’s a good point. One less thing to worry about. 

Glenn

4 minutes ago, pamwigs said:

Is there an option to book first class?

We fly from either Anchorage or Seattle to Orlando or Ft Lauderdale. After moving here and the flight on our 28 day cruise, we vowed never to fly coach again because it is so long.

When I booked my flight from Barcelona to Edmonton, I was able to book business through EZair so I would say yes!

Glenn

32 minutes ago, pamwigs said:

When on a long cruise its a bigger expense because of so many days with gratuities and port 

tax. The liquor package is crazy expensive.

I’m not a big drinker but I do enjoy a good pub or bar. I love to sit around and tell stories and, yes, engage in the wobbly spirits. To do that for 28 straight days would be hard core and I would probably have to spend a month in rehab. 

The other side of it is to ask myself if I would spend $70.00/day on beverages. Maybe if I count the coffee and juices, etc.. Port days would minimize that scenario. I’ll have time to consider the PBP but it sure is a heavy cash layout. 

On a side note, I am envious of you living in Anchorage. My favourite city that I frequent often. I have never cruised there and I really, really enjoy Homer. 

Glenn

14 minutes ago, trbarton said:

Here’s the post with photo about the new MDR menu that was given out on the Embarkation Lunch in the MDR.... 

 

Perhaps it’s only on the Crown since other people have not seen this. 

 

Tom😀

Thank you for sharing, Tom! It’s a treat to see such menus and knowing I will be eating well on my upcoming cruise. 

Glenn

12 minutes ago, Desert Kitty said:

So what you’re saying is those of us joining the cruise in Buenos Aires are essentially SOL 

Penny

I’m on a so called back to back cruise so if I miss my first chance maybe I’ll get a second chance. I only need to do it once to satisfy my curiosity but how elegant!

i called Princess direct and there was no way around it. You can only book it onboard which is already known. I just had to try. 

I hope the best for you and good luck!

Glenn